


Tag Team

by picklescantwrite



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Day At The Beach, F/F, F/M, First Dates, Matchmaking, Romantic Fluff, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-05 02:08:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12180819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/picklescantwrite/pseuds/picklescantwrite
Summary: With group date after group date, Lena and Emily (and Sombra and Satya) try to bring Mei and Lucio closer together while on vacation in Brazil.





	1. Best Laid Plans

**Author's Note:**

> Decided to just forgo drama and have fun with what I was writing. This one includes all my canon couples except for Junkrat and Roadhog; probably because they're busy Mad Max-ing it up in the desert somewhere. Brazil is beautiful (and Lucio's home) and a perfect location for dates.

For weeks and weeks now, Lena and Emily had been planning a romantic getaway to Brazil for some time off. They would miss their new baby cats, Oddball and Sniffles, but were leaving them in the capable hands of their landlady - an omnic with a heart of gold. As per usual with the pair, they didn't start packing until the day before. Lena was nearly done by the time Emily started, and was already back on the computer connecting to Skype.

"Do you think I should pack the pumpkin spice colored shirt, or the vanilla latte one?" asked Emily. Her quiet, ethereal tones still carried across the room and Lena swore she could still smell her peony perfume even with the open window. She looked up from her laptop and smiled.

"Make sure they don't have sleeves, love. It'll be hot as a Sunday roast where we're going, and not just because I'm wearing shorts." She winked, and Emily gave a small eye roll and a giggle as she usually did. Lena went back to her computer, still trying to make the connection.

"Wi-Fi on the fritz, babe?"

"Not this time. It's just a long distance call. No trouble. I hope she's awake..." Lena mused. It was nearly midnight, and Shanghai was seven hours ahead of London. Mei was only stopping over on her way to HQ, but Lena was hoping this wake-up call would reach her in time.

Finally, the screen stopped loading. Mei with her sleepy bedhead and half-closed eyes was clearly visible, squinting at the light from her own laptop. 

"Good morning sunshine!" Lena said, beaming. Emily could hear Mei groan on the other end and sighed. Lena was more of a morning person...and night person. Afternoon person...heck, she was just on all the time. You had to learn to love it. Like a kitten throwing up hairballs.

"Ugh. Tr-Tracer? Lena?"

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty! Well, not for us. We're just headed to bed. But we wanted to invite you along on our trip a day in advance!" As Emily could practically feel Mei's confusion from miles and time zones away, she stopped packing for a minute and went over to sit next to Lena on the bed.

"We're going to Brazil this week. Maybe stay a little longer. We booked two rooms at the hotel for us and June, but she isn't coming." Emily explained. June was Emily's twin sister, and even though Emily didn't feel the least bit jealous or protective seeing her double around her girlfriend, she still wanted this to be more of an alone-time thing, and luckily June had called two days ago to say she had other plans. They involved Germany and a certain young man she'd met there at a convention last year - she didn't know his name, but they were still going strong. 

Lena, however, was adamant about trying one more crazy idea, which involved a third wheel. But not for long. And at least they wouldn't have to worry about the refund policy in Brazil. Emily cleared her throat and divulged further. "We were hoping, Mei, that you would come and stay with us. You've never been there and neither have I, not officially. Only over VR. But Lena's a great guide, and we'll be hanging out with Satya and Sombra a lot while we're there."

"They're renting. Well, we think renting. Actually we think Sombra's probably got different apartments in every country under false names and never has to pay for anything. But she does it for love." Lena speculated, and not wanting to even hypothetically be outdone by Sombra, kissed Emily on the cheek. 

"We know it's a little last-minute, but it'll be fun. What do you say?" Emily asked.

Mei still slumped a bit, yawning and pushing her hair out of her eyes. Finally, she agreed. "That sounds pretty great." she yawned. "But I don't have a lot of beach clothes-"

"They've got shops downtown. Really fab gear. We'll pay for everything." Lena offered. "Or Sombra will. Meaning not paying."

"We'll definitely pay." Emily cut in.

"That's very nice of you. I'd love to come and stay, for a while at least. It looks beautiful from the footage I've seen."

"Oh, absolutely," Emily agreed, "it's full of white sand beaches and beautiful people and amazing food. At least, that's what Lena says."

"Am I ever wrong?"

"Sometimes. But you know any beautiful beach is my weakness. And beautiful girls." Emily used one finger to boop her nose. "One in particular."

"Stop it, you." Lena blushed, ducking her head away and laughing.

Mei blushed too, but for other reasons. She was definitely logging off early if they were going to start making out. "I'll talk with you guys later, to sort out the details. But I'd love to come and stay. My stopover at HQ isn't for another three weeks, and they never said I couldn't go on vacation in the meantime."

"That a girl! We'll be waiting for you! So long!" Lena said cheerfully, waving goodbye as Mei closed out the camera. She turned to Emily. "This is perfect! So, should we call Satya next? Just to go over the plan?"

"Wait a while. I've crossed enough time zones for one evening." Emily said, yawning and getting up off the bed again. "I'm going to pack, then go to sleep. Make sure to have a little bit of tea. I don't want you up all night while we're in bed."

"Not what you used to say." Lena joked suggestively, giggling. Once again, eye roll and a smile from Emily. Job done. Lena complied and zoomed along to the kitchen, making herself a quick cuppa - very quick. She got back into the bedroom with the hot mug before Emily even had time to shut the trunk. 

Emily sighed. "Just please...remember we'll be in Brazil trying to relax. Take things slow. Be in the moment. Just for a little while. Can we practice that now?"

Lena nodded. "Sure thing, love. I promise." Just to make a point, she sipped her tea verrrrry slooowllly. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 

Mei’s flight hadn’t been a problem. The only holdup she had had was trying to get the ice gun past airport security in Shanghai. Not like she was sneaking it through – there was really no way to hide it. All she’d done when she was pulled aside was pull out a holographic card: Overwatch identification. They grumbled, but legally it was enough.

Not to say she was preparing for a battle in Brazil – she just learned from experience to be careful. If Talon decided to interrupt their vacation, she didn’t want to be the only one defenseless.

But still, she’d put her worries aside in order to enjoy the moment. The beautiful expanse of the wide Pacific below calmed her enough to relax most of the flight, even if the baby two rows ahead was bawling its eyes out with no sign of stopping. And the guy next to her smelled like bacon…American? She didn’t care for it, but it was better than the baby at least.

She listened to music throughout the miles-high ride, and had enough time in between here and the ground to think about her friends. Overwatch was more than a team…they were a family.

After the death of all her fellow scientists and friends in Antarctica, she’d done her best to rejoin the initiative and move on with whatever they needed her to do. She couldn’t be hesitant or needy, she couldn’t fall behind. She needed to be reliable, and there for her team. Not like last time. It had taken her a while, in fact, to admit she needed help, and needed time to grieve. Tracer had reached out.

Tracer (Lena to her now, but never during missions) was such an infectious bubbly ray of sunshine it was hard for Mei to fall into grieving for long. She saw counselors and therapists and doctors, got on and off different medicines over the years, and always Lena was there, either a phone call away or waiting right outside the office ready to go out for ice cream. Lena had even invited her to London to stay at her place in between missions many times. There she’d met Emily, who was quiet just as much as Lena was loud, but was just as warm and friendly. Emily loved cats, Lena loved dogs, and the two had a hamster (uniquely named Hamster) and a fish (Terry Gilliam) last time Mei had come around to visit.

There were other friends, too. Winston had always been a constant calming presence in her life, and after going back to Overwatch he’d been the first to check in on her to see if everything was all right. When she did get into therapy at last, he told her how proud he was of her every time he saw her, and eventually her eyes stopped filling with tears. That didn’t mean she wasn’t affected.

Hana was a new team member that had been very interesting to get to know. She was energetic, quick, and decisive in battle, as well as supportive and kind to everyone out of armor. Like Lena, she had been determined for years to bring Mei out of her shell, and they bonded by playing video games together. The furthest Mei had ever gotten into video games before was a retro DS in Antarctica, which she used to play Kirby or Animal Crossing on during breaks in the day. At first Mei couldn’t even tell what was happening on the screen the first time she saw Hana play. It was scary and confusing, but she still wanted to learn more. After weeks of getting used to the pace, she learned that she wasn’t too bad on defense. Go figure. Kirby was still her favorite, though.

It was also through Hana that she had met Lucio, a famous DJ and Hana’s best friend. He was popular, outgoing, and always cheerful, like Hana was, but something about him stood out even more to Mei. Maybe his smile? The soft-spoken Mei was even more shy around him, not because she was afraid, but because the dynamic and close relationship between him and Hana made her aware of her own inadequacies. She wasn’t bold, or confident, or outgoing or even talkative like her friend was. Part of her even worried she wasn’t pretty, although most of the other parts of her brain told her that it wasn’t important. She wanted to believe she was good enough on her own. She was trying to.

But she didn’t like exploring the emotions that came whenever Lucio was around, and so she only smiled and gave one-word answers politely, and stayed away from him most of the time. Shame about that, she thought – even years later she still remembered how good his smile made her feel.

The plane was ready to touch down soon. Sombra and Satya…those two she knew very little about. Neither were with Overwatch, but she’d gotten some quick notes about their ties to the organization from Lena. Satya, or Symmetra as she was known to Overwatch, was a Vishkar agent and worked primarily for the company. But there'd been rumors of her going rogue. Either way, many of her actions fell within Overwatch’s goals of making the world a better place, and despite her reputed aloofness Lena assured Mei that she was ‘a real sweetheart.’

Sombra Mei knew by reputation as a member of Talon…well, former member. More like double agent, although her behavior suggested she was more like a freelance biohacker. Nothing Mei was familiar with, but there was an artistry to the science of the world’s global technology that had always fascinated her. And Sombra was just that, a chaos artist; doing whatever she wanted, with whatever organization suited her interests. Not like that was something to be celebrated, but Mei had always hoped Sombra wasn’t as arbitrary about loyalty or morals as others made her seem. Maybe it was dangerous to be a fully-fledged ally of Overwatch, so it was why Sombra kept the association at a distance. To Mei, the risks were well worth it, but there were plenty of good people outside of Overwatch as well, and she wanted to believe the best. 

At least she’d get more of an opportunity to know them both this time around, in the company of her more outgoing friends. As the plane touched down, Mei waited in her seat while the bacon aftershave passenger next to her shuffled out slowly, and sent a quick text to Lena with some smiley emojis: ‘Just touched down in Rio. Can’t wait to start a new adventure.’


	2. Breaking the Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sombra and Symmetra re-introduce Mei to Lucio. Mei is smitten, but shy. Everyone's first day of vacation starts with some bad news, but not all is lost. Tracer and Em flirt and Emily is still a goddess. Sombra and Satya too.

"Freeze, don't move!"

Mei instinctively raised her hands, but she smiled as she turned around. The Cockney accent gave it away.

"Looks like the cavalry's here." she said to Tracer, quoting her iconic line just as she'd done hers. Tracer pulled her into a big hug - slowly, however. She was still incognito behind sunglasses and a Brazilian flag-colored speed shirt and shorts. Emily was behind her, smiling, in a beautiful sunhat and a white dress. 

"We're glad to see you, luv." Tracer greeted happily, pulling away from Mei and holding her hands. "Come on, let's get your bags in order."

* * *

The duo knew better than to call out any Overwatch agents by name; none of them wanted to be noticed or found by the wrong people. Still, Tracer couldn't hide her excitement. "There you are!" she shouted, running at a regular pace towards the two. Emily floated behind, while Mei sidled along shyly, instantly more on guard with these strangers. Both were tall, dark-skinned, stylish women with very intimidating, but beautiful eyes. 

Tracer did a carefully timed fist bump with the lady in a blue sari, gloves and a sunhat. The one in purple with a very eccentric hairstyle scanned over Mei at once, smiling out of the corner of her mouth. "Glad she's here. She looks different than I thought." she said, in a slightly ominous, slightly amused way. "But not bad."

"H-hello." Mei said, raising a hand in greeting and doing her best to smile normally.

"We'll introduce everyone properly once we're back at the hotel." said the woman in blue. "Do you have your bags?"

"Y-yes." said Mei, then cleared her throat and tried again for a first impression. "Glad to meet you."

The woman in blue smiled down at her, and Mei was happy that her smile was much more gentle. "You too, _chhotee bahan_." she replied, then turned around to lead the way out, holding the other woman's hand. Tracer, Emily, and Mei followed behind.

"They're the two women you talked about?" Mei whispered to them, still trying to be general in case anyone was listening.

"They're great, aren't they? And they love you already. We'll try to spend a lot of time with them." said Tracer excitedly. 

"Oh. Good." said Mei. She wasn't exactly opposed to the idea, but she'd have to learn a bit more before she began to trust them. But Tracer and Emily seemed to, so maybe that was enough.

"They have a lot of guests over at their house." said Emily, her voice echoing as they went out of the terminal and into a hallway with more space. They were all taking 'someone's' car, Tracer had said while winking non-subtly at Emily, and needed to wait in a more open area for him to arrive. The two women, Sombra and Satya, were farther away. "Very _interesting_ guests. Good looking ones. Is what I'd say if I were single, but-" Emily cleared her throat, seemingly stuck in an awkward transition. She nudged Tracer. "Lena, help me out."

"Gladly. There's a lot of very attractive people in Brazil is what Emily means to say. Not priority number 1, obviously, but it comes naturally with the scenery. Speaking of scenery, Em..." Tracer turned her attention back to her partner. "I haven't said it yet, but that dress looks amazing on you. White always looks good on redheads. And with yours, so does every other color."

Emily blushed. "Wore it just for you, babe."

"It'd look even better off you."

Emily immediately started laughing hard and snorting from it, reaching a hand up to cover her mouth. She proceeded to hit Tracer on the arm with the other hand. Once she had got her breath, she gasped out in exasperation. "You're doing this now in the terminal? Really? Talk about excessive PDA."

"We're not in the terminal now, love. Haven't you been paying attention? I wasn't even paying attention to anyone but you and I knew that."

"Smooth-talker." Emily elbowed her and then grabbed her hand again. She turned her head half-apologetically towards Mei. "Sorry for making you a third wheel. It's our anniversary this month."

"Congratulations! How long have you been together for?" Mei knew that two years ago, they'd been together when she'd visited their home at first. She didn't know if they had been living together longer before that.

"Four years. Four years of putting up with this _goofy_ , _horny_ , lesbian mess." Emily joked, bumping Lena's hip with her in fake reproach at every emphasized word. Tracer bumped her hip back in return and stuck her tongue out at her, and Emily giggled. Mei giggled too. She actually didn't find it completely awkward, it was kind of cute and nice to be so close with someone. 

* * *

As the group all made it outside, the heat hit Mei hard. Part of her screamed internally, saying she would have taken Antarctica over this any day. But, she hadn't exactly packed for the weather - she was wearing a large coat, and figured taking it off would help. Underneath was an Overwatch t-shirt, however. Not the most covert move. 

"Lena, you had mentioned clothing shops?" Mei asked Tracer.

"Sure thing, love. Plenty here. All on the way."

"Poor thing, she's baking in that coat." Emily said to Tracer. "Can't you take it off, Mei?"

"I...not until we get back to our rooms. Probably." she said, wishing she had prepared better. "I don't have many warm weather things."

 "Then hold on, okay sweetie? He should be on his way now." Emily stood on her toes, keeping her eyes peeled for a mystery car. Sombra and Satya waiting a little further ahead in the shade, unperturbed and still holding hands. 

"They seem to be very close." Mei said aside to Tracer, who was tying her shoe on the ground. "Are they-"

Tracer zipped back up with a smile. "Lesbians? Absolutely. Always glad to see more. Although it's not exactly Overwatch policy to start a relationship with someone who's going to be a potential liability in the long run. I don't know how they do things over at Vishkar." Tracer stared over at them, then looked back to Mei. "Our driver could tell you more."

She winked. Mei gulped. She didn't know what she was getting into, but everyone seemed to be in on it but her. She was uncomfortable and baking, and she hoped their ride would arrive soon. Sure enough, right as she was thinking it, a very sleek black car with green lighting stripes down the side pulled up.

 _Black, in this heat? That's a bold choice,_ Mei thought, then shook her head. _What am I saying? Look at me!_

She saw the driver's side door open, and someone quickly dashed out in their direction. It was all a blur. Mei flinched but it turns out he was going for Tracer, who hugged him just as speedily. "Lucy!" she greeted, holding on tight for about a minute. "How are you?"

"I'm doin' great!" He let go, still smiling. "Y'all picked a really good time to come, there's tons of people here for the festival."

"Which means more traffic. That's a good thing to you?" Sombra asked.

"Carnival is when it gets unbearable. Anything else, we can handle." He winked and skated over to grab their bags as all of them filed into the car. All except one, who hadn't known about the mystery guest at all. 

Mei was in shock. Well, not as much compared to other things in her life, but right now she was still unexpectedly taken back. Lucio? He did live in Brazil, but she never thought he'd be able to walk the streets without getting mobbed here, much less pick them up. She hadn't seen him in years, and he was almost exactly as she'd remembered him. Almost. What came to mind with Lucio was a pretty, tall, neon-green black man with interesting hair, headphones, and a great smile. But she'd totally forgotten the warm, calm, and still exciting radiance he gave off just being around her. And he wasn't pretty; he was beautiful.

Mei didn't catch herself staring until everyone was almost in the car, and she blinked heavily and cleared her throat to return back to normal. Thank god Lucio hadn't noticed. To account for her seemingly odd behavior, but also to lend a hand, she walked over to him. "Do you need help with any of the bags? Mine are heavy. I can carry a few."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Lucio was able to manage all of them pretty well, in only a couple trips, as Mei watched in awe. She'd also forgotten how light on his feet (or skates) he was, as if he was just flying low to the ground. 

"Thank you." Mei said. "I'm really excited to see you again. I didn't know you were here! I mean, I should've...it is your home. It's just I haven't seen you in so long. I've been traveling a lot."

"Me too. It's good to relax every now and again. And it'll be great to catch up. You're staying here a while, right?"

"Hopefully. I'm not planning on rushing back to Singapore or Shanghai anytime soon."

"Then we can definitely hang. You'll love it here in no time."

"I'm pretty sure...I do already."

They both smiled at each other, which turned into some sort of unbroken happy staring contest. They couldn't see everyone watching them in the car. Tracer was sitting in the driver's seat for the better view, celebrating by punching the air out in front of her. Her fist hit the car horn, bringing Lucio and Mei back to earth. Mei blushed, looking at the ground, and eventually both headed to the car. There was still the whole day in Rio ahead of them.

* * *

After the drive out of the airport, the trio tried checking into their hotel, but something had gone wrong.

"We have one room on standby."

"One?" Mei repeated, confused. Emily and Lena looked to each other, and then back to the front desk.

"That can't be right, can it? We booked them ourselves." Tracer asked.

"We reserved two rooms nine weeks ago." Emily echoed.

"You reserved one room. You might have put the other room on standby by mistake - those don't guarantee you get the room. If there's an influx of new guests who need to book rooms sooner with us, rooms on standby go public. That's just our policy."

Emily and Tracer looked at Mei, who was surprised and more than a little panicked. Her room was gone? What about their plans? Where was she going to stay? Luckily, Tracer was much faster in thinking of a solution.

"I'll call Lucio to drive back and take you to Joatinga. Satya and Sombra have a huuge place there, with its own separate apartment. They can tell you more; I've only seen it once."

"I don't know, Lena. I...they seem nice, but I don't know them very well. What if I get in their way? What f they don't want me to be there?"

"Fiddlesticks, they love you already. And we'll be stopping by every day so we can all go on adventures together." Tracer patted her on the back. "Sorry about the mess-up, luv, but we can still have a lot of fun. Joatinga's perfect this time of year, too. Every time of year. You'll be well spoiled."

"What is Joatinga?"

"Well, calling it a beach would be like calling Overwatch a group of orange circle people. You need to experience it for yourself. And you're about to! How lucky is that?" Over her shoulder, Tracer winked at Emily, still leaning against the wall on her phone talking to Lucio. She smiled out of the side of her mouth and winked back at Tracer in turn, who giggled and turned back to Mei. "Ever been in love, Mei?"

"I don't...not for a long time. Maybe. I don't know."

"Ever been in love with a beautiful redhead from Manchester?"

"No."

"Well," Tracer said, doing a little happy twirl in place, "I highly recommend the experience."

 Mei turned away and smiled faintly, a thought popping into her head she couldn't drown out. Emily was pretty, sure, but when the idea of someone beautiful entered her head, there was only one person at the forefront of her mind. And he was on his way to see her right now. 


	3. Alone Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mei loves her new apartment above Sombra and Satya's place, and gets to know the two and Lucio better. Everyone goes to the beach - a setup for a triple date as Lucio and Mei are left alone together.

The mansion on the cliff overlooking Joatinga beach was indeed beyond words, but for the sake of her audio diary, Mei was going to do her best. She paced around her room as she talked, twirling her hair with one finger and occasionally stopping to look through the wall-length windows at the balcony outside. 

_"Saturday July seventh, 11 o'clock, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It's still soooo beautiful here, I can't even believe it. I know I haven't updated in a while, so I'm starting now. Sombra and Satya have been so good to let me stay with them. Their house is really beautiful, but they don't let you touch anything. My place on the other hand, up here, is just what I need. Calm, tropical, beachy stuff everywhere and bright colors. Great beds. Morning coffeemaker. Charging stations. And a great view. The beach is outside right below us and it's so quiet and beautiful. The other beaches are so packed, but I like being here. You can just walk along the sands at night alone, it's very peaceful. Just what I need."_

_"I've been here for over a week now. I think I've gotten to know everyone a little bit better. Sombra is hard to read, but it's good to make her smile, even if I don't know how I'm doing it. Despite what I've heard about her past, she's very loyal to her friends. I don't know if I'm one of them now...I hope so. And Satya is very cool! She used to work for Vishkar, which Lucio doesn't like - they've done some pretty evil things here in Rio in the past - but she broke away from them and has been rogue for a while. That's what led her to Sombra. And to Overwatch. She's very elegant, and loves mixing red wine and spices in all her cooking, which I think is great!"_

_"And Lucio...well, I always did like him, but I never really got to know him well until now. I know he's a DJ and an athlete, and he's really good on roller skates. He's a hero here in Brazil, and I finally learned why. After all he's done to help the people here, I'm surprised he can go anywhere without getting mobbed, like a celebrity would be in any other country. But local people tend to be pretty good about treating him just like one of them. Which he is, I mean. I still feel a little bit...I'm not sure. Maybe strange?- around him? - but he's really nice, and if I had the opportunity, I could get over that feeling and we could be friends. I definitely want to be. Uh...well, I mean, more than that, maybe. He's really cool. He has a lot of good stories to tell. But my biggest story..I was asleep for most of it. I guess I'm worried that I'm not going to be that interesting. I feel good about being here, but I wish I could still stop worrying about things like that."_

Mei sighed. This wasn't going as planned, and she was taking too many pauses in between her thoughts for the audio. She decided to hurry it up fast. _"Well, at least where I am is still very beautiful. And I'm surrounded by great people who like me - that makes me feel a lot better. Wǒ duì wèilái yǒu xīwàng._ _Mei signing off."_

* * *

The opportunity Mei was hoping for came three days later. The group had had days exploring different districts during art festivals, going to restaurants, and even getting a look over the whole city in a helicopter. Even though Mei's fear of heights had nagged at her the entire time, she had to admit the view from the city above was her favorite part of the trip so far. Well, second-favorite.

Now they had all decided to spend a day at Copacabana Beach, walking around the shops and just soaking in the sun together. Emily and Lena walked as they always did; holding hand while Lena excitedly pointed out cool things in the shop display windows to Emily. At some point they'd go inside and look around, especially if it was an artist's shop. Emily would go in to find cool pieces to inspire her for her own new projects back home, and Lena would usually look for busy, colorful patterns that matched the fireworks going off in her brain.

She would always go back to Emily saying "What do you think of this, love? Perfect above our mantle?" Emily was pretty sure Lena had no idea what a mantle was, but she'd give her art school opinion on it anyway. "It's got a lot of hidden depth, particularly in these shades. They're very nuanced."

"Ditto." They'd never buy it, of course, but it was enough to just be together somewhere. Meanwhile, Sombra and Satya were the only ones wearing swimwear, switching between walking along the boardwalk together and the beach. They did things mostly in silence, but a comfortable silence. Not very many knew about what brought the two of them together, and some preferred to be out and proud about their relationships but they liked keeping some secrets. They were still very proud, though. And more than that, happy. Occasionally Satya would do a graceful swan dive off the boardwalk into the water, keeping perfect time with her strokes. Sombra would leave her be and follow on land unless Satya asked her to join. More than once, when Sombra was on the lowest point of the dock, Satya would wrap her arms around her waist and pull her in, which always made Sombra laugh and retaliate by splashing her with water. They preferred their own quiet beach back at Joatinga to this one, ultimately, it was too crowded to really have fun. But it didn't really matter as long as they were together. 

As for Mei and Lucio, in the midst of all of this they were finally left alone. Mei hadn't wanted to wear anything as bare as Sombra and Satya, so a skirt and a floral tank top was fine. She had initially wanted the sleeves longer, insecure about her arms, but gave in once Emily and Lena told her it had looked adorable anyway. 

"So, Lucio-" Mei wanted to be the one to start talking, otherwise she was worried she'd freeze up. "-you're working on a new album? Sombra told me."

"Oh, yeah. A couple demo tracks, mixing some tunes together. But actually announcing an album means putting myself on a deadline to finish it, and I don't like that. I just like creating, and playing music. It's a job, but, I don't want it to feel like work." he explained.

"I totally understand. I feel the same way about science. A lot of it's important, but I like for it to be fun, too. And it is. Most of the time." 

They were walking slowly along the edge of the beach and the shops, far behind Lena and Emily. Lucio had his hair down in dreadlocks all around his head, and was wearing a bright blue shirt and sunglasses. Not as many tourists would recognize him then, but locals certainly did, waving hello and smiling at him as he passed by. Mei would have been self-conscious in his shoes, more than she was already. But still, she thought, it must be good to know you were loved by so many.

"I know I keep asking, but how are you liking Brazil so far? Hasn't let you down yet?" he asked her, as he waved hello to a small boy in a shop window. 

"It's beautiful. I love the beach. I loved the train ride up the hill to Santa Teresa. The botanical gardens, the water skiing - even though I didn't ski, but the boat ride was fun. And the food! It's so delicious." Mei raved. 

"That's my favorite part too. Besides the music."

"And having ice cream in Antarctica just isn't as fun as having it here." Mei said. "Having it melt is really the best part. Otherwise you're just eating ice. Boy did I regret bringing those _dongbei dabans_  once it got past negative 30 outside."

Lucio laughed. "I never really thought about people bringing ice cream there. But I guess if people can eat hot stuff here-"

"-a bunch of scientists can get brain freeze in Antarctica. Which is funny to think about, until it actually happens." Mei finished his sentence. 

"I always thought skating in Antarctica would be really sick."

"I guess so. I've never tried." Mei shrugged. She knew Lucio had been an ice hockey player, and if he was as good as he was on regular skates, she'd love to see it. Suddenly, she had an idea. "Hey, I just thought of something! Do you have ice skates with you?"

"Not really. They're back at my place. Why?"

"We should go get them! I'll get my ice gun, and we can dig out a pool for water to turn into an ice rink!"

Lucio smiled, but then looked around at the busy beach skeptically. "I don't know if we should do that here. That might call attention to you in the wrong way."

"What do you mean? It'll be fun!"

"Well...you're trying to stay hidden for now, right?" 

Mei's face fell, and she remembered her directive. Of course. It would be so easy for an enemy to spot her if she suddenly made a frozen ice rink appear on a beach, and then there could be major trouble for everyone here. They were supposed to be unofficially on 'research leave', not showing off for crowds. Still, Mei thought, it would have been fun to try and make a fun ice rink for everyone to skate on, and it would definitely be unique in Brazil. 

She sighed. "You're right. I don't want to put anyone in danger here. What was I thinking? I'm sorry."

Lucio gave her a sympathetic smile. "Don't be so down on yourself, Mei. We'll do it, it's still a great idea. Just not here. Let me get my skates and a few friends and I'll meet back up with you at Joatinga, okay?"

"Oh-okay." Mei stuttered, realizing this meant she was going to get more alone time with Lucio. Well, aside from a few friends she hadn't met yet, but either way, this would be a great way to connect with him.

* * *

Lucio's 'friends', she was relieved to find out, were a bunch of neighborhood kids who Lucio coached in sports during his free time, and he was mostly bringing them by so they could marvel and skate on the ice rink. With Lucio's help, Mei had made a separate pool of water on the beach, and freezing it solid went perfectly. The kids were amazed. 

"Wow, so you can just freeze water at any time with that gun? That's really cool." one boy said.

"How long have you had it for?" another asked. 

"This is the seventh variation I've made. The science behind it was tricky to develop, but I got all the bugs worked out of it in the end."

"You _made_ that?" 

_"Whoa."_

Mei smiled shyly, proud of herself, and once Lucio had got the kids together on the ice, she watched from the sidelines smiling. Occasionally he would smile at her while talking to them, and she could feel her face getting redder and redder - and it didn't have anything to do with the sun.

Lucio finally organized two teams of a practice hockey game, and took to the ice himself to show them tricks and turns they could use. Mei watched him in awe. He really could have been a professional if he wanted to be, she thought. He was perfect at everything he did. 

Once the game started, he skated over to her, and sat down next to her in the sand. "Wow, this is so great! These guys are having so much fun, and I am too." he exclaimed, out of breath but smiling. He turned to look at the sunset. "We should get them home before dark, but not until the game's over."

"Sure thing." Mei turned to look as well. "I never get tired of the sunsets here. They're so beautiful."

"Me too. I mean, me neither." Lucio coughed, and the two sat in silence watching the game and the sun setting over the ocean. Occasionally they were watching each other, glancing at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. 

Once the kids had had their fun, Mei was ready to unfreeze the water, or just let the setting sun take care of it, but Lucio stopped her. "Let's hold onto this a while. I gotta get these kids back home, but I want to show you something when I get back. Just for you."

Mei blushed fiercely, but was also incredibly hopeful. She smiled and nodded. "Okay, Lucio. Sure thing."

As he drove the kids away, she kept the ice cool with a sharp wind blast from her gun and she looked out over the rest of the unfrozen water. She loved how the sun's little flecks of gold stayed in the waves, and faded up and up and up...until they eventually turned into silver. She hadn't realized how long she'd been staring at it all until she heard footsteps in the sand, and realized Lucio had come back.

She stood up and walked over to him. "All right, then. What did you want to show me?"

Lucio held out his hand. In it were another pair of ice skates.

"Do you skate, Mei?" he asked.

"I...I...well, I can handle myself. But I don't go very fast. I'm no athlete."

"I don't really want to go fast." Lucio handed them over to her, and knelt in the sand as he did up his own laces again. "I just want to skate with you."

"W-w-what?!" Mei nearly jumped back.

"I just want to skate and talk. To get to know you more. You've always been really quiet, and I knew there was more to you from the beginning. So while we've got all night..." 

Lucio slid onto the rink, gliding in a circle gracefully, then a figure eight, until he was right in front of a dumbstruck Mei.

"...tell me your life story, and I'll tell you mine."

 


	4. More Than Friendly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Mei and Lucio literally break the ice, they no longer need prodding to go on dates and spend more time together. Right before Mei's vacation time is set to expire, Lucio goes to see her one final night. Also, Lena is totally not the best at hiding surprises.

From the balcony of Sombra and Satya's home up on the cliffs, both couples were watching the two at the beach below - Sombra throught zooming in on her hacking screen, and Lena through an old-timey telescope, while leaning over the railing and holding Emily's hand.

"Are they still skating?" Emily asked.

"Uh huh! They're getting along like spaghetti and waffles!"

Emily raised an eyebrow, though Lena couldn't see it. "Is that meant to be a good thing?"

"I'd say very good." Sombra chimed in. "They've been laughing a lot, too. Contrary to popular belief, that actually leads to **more** sex."

"Sombra!" Satya hissed chidingly.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! But not really. _Mi amada_ , if you wanted a subtle lover, I'd say you're about three years too late."

Satya rolled her eyes, but smiled out of the corner of her mouth at the term of endearment. 

"I think they're fine just talking right now. And holding hands." Lena squeezed Emily's hand tighter, and Emily grabbed onto her arm - half-returning the gesture, half trying to prevent her from falling over the edge of the cliff with her enthusiasm.

"Mei's normally very shy and reserved. Sometimes scared. I love seeing her happy like this." Emily sighed, smiling.

"Me too." Lena took a break from watching out of the binoculars to turn her head and kiss Emily's cheek. 

"Oh, hold up. No..." Sombra started laughing. Quickly, Lena turned her head back to the telescope and saw...nothing. The ice was broken. Literally. "They've been skating on it so long that it melted. _Dios mío_!" Sombra laughed. "Good thing Mei's not wearing those parkas anymore."

"Yeah, no better place to go swimming, eh?" Lena agreed. Both Mei and Lucio had bobbed their heads out of the water, looking surprised at first but then both breaking out laughing again. Lucio started splashing Mei, who laughed again, and the two started swimming around in the makeshift pool.

"That's adorable." Lena gushed. She turned back to Emily, offering the telescope. "Want to take a look, luv?"

"Just a peek before I go inside. I'm getting sleepy." Emily rubbed one of her eyes and took the proffered spy machine, zooming in and out to test it before focusing down on the beach and smiling. "Aw, yeah. They're like teenagers without the acne, braces, and bad deodorant." she giggled. 

"I should have given you a chance at this sooner-"

"I'm not much of a Peeping Tom. Or Tammy. Or whatever the lesbian equivalent is."

"No, I mean so I could stop looking at them and look at you!" Lena explained, holding Emily's hand and swinging it back and forth playfully as she stared at her. "You always look really pretty at night. And in the daytime. And the afternoon. And even in the morning, which is _really_ unfair because I'm **such** a **mess...** "

"I swear, if you're gonna still be like after we get married, I may just puke rainbows on our wedding night. Not my fault." Emily fired back. This stopped Lena in her tracks. Ceasing the swinging, she turned bright red, and actually found herself at a loss for words.

"M-married? I mean..sure, yeah, if you're offering, but I...I mean, it's not like I was...not as if..."

Emily took her eyes off the couple below and looked at her very un-subtle girlfriend with a "Really?" look on her face. "I saw you buy the ring. You brought me along and just left me for two seconds while I was eating ice cream to go buy it. Like I wouldn't notice. And we've talked about it a lot."

"Yeah, sure, I mean...of course I would. But I didn't exactly say when I was going to propose, did I?" She smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "Guess I need to do it proper, right?"

"Wait until the last day before you tell everyone, all right? We'll make a ceremony of it then. As for now...I'm saying yes."

"Really?!"

"Yes, you dummy! I've been saying yes since we first talked about the idea. Which I believe was the first day you met me. You actually opened with a marriage proposal."

Lena chuckled as she remembered the dumb but fun exchange. She'd been at a vintage candy shop, looking over some old classics, all by her lonesome, when a gaggle of pretty girls walked in. The redhead had caught her eye immediately, and she instantly felt like she had to say something to her. So before she left, she'd ambushed her in one of the aisles with a proposal with a Ring Pop.

"Hi there, I'm an addict to all things sweet and I think I've fallen in love with you. Will you marry me?" Now Lena and Emily both quoted it back from memory, laughing together. Emily had laughed then too, even though her friends behind her were very visibly weirded out. 

"And you said-" Lena laughed so hard at the memory of the return line that she was wheezing. "-ha, you said...remember Em, remember?...you said 'only if I get a prenup' and you dumped a Mason Jar of Mars Bars on my head and said 'Ten of these a week!' Remember?"

"I remember you actually kept to that friggin' promise. Every week, whether you were in town or out on missions or we were out on a date or not, you always sent me ten Mars Bars through the mail."

"And after three months you sent me your dentist bill!" Lena turned to Satya and Sombra. "She literally got a cavity because she ate every single one of the chocolates I sent her! I knew she was the one after that, I knew it."

Satya chuckled, shaking her head and turning towards the house to head inside. "Well, I look forward to the big ceremony, Lena. In the meantime - I've had enough fun for one evening." As she yawned gracefully and headed inside, Sombra closed out her screen and followed suit, winking at Lena and Emily.

"That's what she always says." she hinted.

Lena and Emily waved goodnight to both of them, and headed back towards their waiting car, holding hands all the way. Mei and Lucio meanwhile, had both already gotten out of the pool and were talking still, late into the night, side by side on the beach.

* * *

Mei's next couple weeks were completely joyous; she would have definitely put them into her audio diary if she could, but her mind was going too fast and she was just having too much fun to waste time talking about it. After the ice-skating, Lucio had called her the next day to ask her out on a date to lunch, at a local food stand where he swore they had the best _pão de queijo_ \- the Brazilian cheesy bread she'd always wanted to try fresh. She immediately said yes and rushed into town feeling almost as fast as Tracer. She hadn't had enough time to even pull her hair back, but Lucio had said he definitely liked the new look. 

They got some fruit smoothies on top of it, and sat on a bench eating as some local street musicians played nearby. The weather was beautiful, and even though the area near Copacabana Beach was crowded, it still wasn't too loud. Lucio and Mei talked and laughed together for hours, and Mei had to stop herself from ordering another found rounds of cheesy bread. Some things were just too good for this world.

A day went by without a call, but the next day was a dinner date, even though they hadn't planned on it. They'd spent the afternoon walking along the streets during an art fair, gazing at the most beautiful pieces. Once it had gotten darker, they figured they should find someplace fun and new to try out, and Mei managed to guess the only place in town Lucio hadn't eaten yet. The food ended up being spicy and delicious, a combo Mei loved. Lucio was surprised that she was actually used to eating spicier food than he was, and had dipped her appetizers in the restaurant's Sudden Death sauce without any hesitation.

The next night, a movie with subtitles, next day a day at the beach. One time Lucio spent all day showing Mei around his recording studio, and having her meet all the really relaxed and fun people he worked with. There were also some lunches and dinners spent with the whole group at Sombra and Satya's place, ending in one or more tiny food fights and binge-watching soap operas for kicks. Mei never wanted this beautiful fun life she'd ended up with to end. She'd grown to be more open as a person than she'd been in years, had made so many friends and loved being with so many good, fun people who loved her. And Lucio was amazing, and she was falling more and more for him every day they were together. 

But like everything good in life, it wasn't meant to be permanent. Lena and Emily knew that there was going to be a deadline to going back home, and once they did, Lena and Mei both needed to head out to HQ immediately after. The job was important, and both knew they had things to take care of before they left. On the final night, once Lena and Emily had checked out of the hotel, everyone had one last dinner at Sombra and Satya's place.

"Three cheers to the team!" Lena toasted, as everyone held their drinks high. "For the best flippin' Overwatch vacation since we all went to the moon!"

"That wasn't a vacation, Lena. We were fighting. I was there." Sombra corrected. "I blasted you in the face with that space portal gun, remember?"

"Yeah. Good times."

Obviously nothing short of a nuclear meltdown or the world going to war was going to interrupt them tonight. Everyone insisted on listening to some tracks off Lucio's latest album before dinner - the tour was set to go next week, and he wouldn't have a peaceful moment (or meal) to himself like this anytime soon. And just at the end of the dinner, before everyone worried things were finally going to be over...

"Ahem. I've got a, uh...an announcement. Yeah. For some of you. Others you know." Lena coughed as she stood up and turned to Emily, hands cupped around a tiny box. "Em, I'm finally going to ask it, for real this time. Will you marry me?" She knelt down, blowing her hair away from her face before opening it.

Mei gasped, and put her hands over her mouth. Lucio also looked happily surprised, but Satya and Sombra just shared a look. 

It was a genuine Ring Pop.

"That's what you bought me at the store?" Emily laughed. Lena nodded.

"I spent all the money on this holiday, love. I'll make it up to you. I promise."

"You already have." Emily bent down and kissed the top of Lena's head. "For the millionth time, yes, I will marry you. Happy?"

"YES!" Lena jumped up and hugged Emily, and the others broke into applause, which turned into a standing ovation. Lena put the sticky candy ring onto Em's finger, as Emily giggled. They kissed, Sombra and Mei cheered, and Lucio filmed the entire event on his phone.

"All right! That is definitely going viral!" he shouted excitedly, as he immediately logged online to post. Mei sat back down with the others and watched him over her plate, smiling. She didn't mind sounding cliche; she was going to miss him most of all.

But what had their relationship become? Did he feel the same way she did, just as strongly? Would it continue? She'd need to have some time alone with him to ask those serious questions, and she was so nervous thinking about it she could barely finish her dessert. What if things were too good to be true?

Once everyone had cleaned up after dinner and settled next to the TV, Mei headed upstairs. She needed a moment alone, to figure out what to say, and how best to say it. And also, to compose herself, prepare for the worst - how best to respond and look if he didn't feel the same. 

As the elevator doors closed behind her, she instinctively walked over to her room with the king sized bed, took off her glasses, and collapsed on it face-first. She needed to think, but also needed a moment to _stop_ thinking. She just needed to breathe.

 Just then, the cell phone in her pocket buzzed. She'd forgotten it was still on, and she pulled it out to check what the notification was. One text - from Lucio. She clicked on it to open it up. It read "I wanted 2 talk 2 u b4 u left. OK now?"

She texted back, making sure to switch her keyboard out of the default Chinese: "Yes. Me too. Come on up." Once she sent it, she sighed again, and picked herself up off the bed. No matter what happened, it was important to be honest. She knew she'd regret not telling him how she felt either way. Getting her glasses, and going to the mirror to smooth her hair out one last time, she took a deep breath and headed back out to the apartment living room. 

She waited only a minute or so before the elevator dinged, and Lucio stepped out, oddly quiet and hesitant. "Hey, Mei. You sure this is a good time?"

"Of course. Whatever you need to tell me, I'm here to listen." she replied.

He walked over and sat sat next to her on the couch - not too close, but close enough for this to be important. "Okay, good. I didn't want you to leave before I got to tell you what I was thinking."

"You can always tell me, Lucio." 

"Thanks. Well, I - ahem, I mean - I know we've been going on dates together for a couple weeks. Real dates, like...us-together...you know-" He was fumbling over his words, and Mei could only nod. He normally was the one to be so calm and easygoing - this must be something serious. "And uh...I'm trying to figure out how to say it, so maybe I should just...be honest."

Oh boy, this was it. Mei figured she could tell what was going to happen now. He was such a nice guy that he was nervous about ending things with her, that's what this was. Well, before he could do what Mei feared would happen, she at least had to say her peace. 

"I feel the same way. About being honest. I need to tell you something too." She looked away from him, kicking a foot against the couch, but still trying to sound very clear. "I don't know if you feel the same way or not...but I like you. I mean - more than friendly. I wanted us to be together after all this, and I didn't know if you feel the same. Either way - I had to say it."

She decided to risk it all and look him in the eyes. "I can say it now clearly. I'm in love with you. And I want us to be together...that is, I hope that's what you wanted, too." The pressure was getting to be too much, and she looked away for one second. She felt a tiny bit proud, but she didn't know how long it would last once his response came. But when she looked back at him, he was giving her a shocked smile.

"Mei...that's exactly the same way I feel. I thought maybe you didn't want things to be exclusive yet, I was worried I'd be moving too fast and that I didn't feel the same way. But I'm really in love with you, Mei."

"Really?"

"Of course! You're smart, you're hilarious, you're beautiful - I always wanted to know more about you since I first saw you, and now that I have, I know that I don't ever want to lose you." He held her hand. "Even if we're gonna be long distance for a while - I still want us to be together, you know? Officially."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...I'm asking if you'll be my girlfriend."

Mei gasped, and bounced up and down in her seat happily. "Yes yes yes yes yes! Lucio, I'm so happy you feel the same way I do! Of course I will!" She hugged him, and he held onto her tightly in return. 

When they broke apart, he had another question. "Have you ever been in a relationship with anyone before, Mei?"

"Not really. I mean...I had a serious commitment to science. You could almost say we were exclusive. My first real love." she only half-joked. "But never with a person before. I liked people, but always felt like I didn't have time. Turns out, I was never really looking until now."

"I guess when it's really important, nothing else gets in the way of it." Lucio agreed. "So does that mean you haven't kissed anyone?"

Mei's face fell. Oh, that topic. Now he'd really think she was dull. "Well...no, I never have. I guess it is a little embarrassing, at my age now."

"No, that's not what I meant to say at all. I just meant..." Lucio cleared her throat, looking away for a second again, then back at her. "I wanted to ask, could I be your first one? I mean I wanted to kiss you anyway - I guess that's just my bad way of asking."

"It's not bad at all." Mei responded. She didn't want to look too naive starting out, or even worried what she felt like at all. Instead, she just went for it. She leaned forward and closed her eyes right before the kiss happened. Mei was happy once he instantly returned it, and put his arms around her once she did the same. She'd been counting minute seconds before, but now time faded away and she wasn't worried about anything. 

Once they broke away, Mei laughed. "I guess that's what all the fuss was about, huh? Now I'm mad at myself for not doing it sooner."

Lucio laughed too. "Honestly, if you'd asked me when I first met you - I probably would have said yes."

"I bet you say that to all the scientists." Mei teased.

"Only the cute ones. Or at least the ones without gingivitis."

Mei laughed. "Same here." She leaned in to kiss him again, and this time the connection was instant. They were soon leaning against the corner of the couch, fully making out with each other - and at this point, probably wouldn't have cared if anyone walked in on them now. But for the first time, the couple finally had some privacy.

Mei didn't want to take things too far, not yet - but she knew she had a good man that she loved, and if she was ever going to be with anyone, it would be him. Lucio, meanwhile, wasn't thinking about the future or the past, or even five minutes from now. For now they both just kissed, and enjoyed the moment. The future would happen at its own pace. They were here, and they'd make it last as long as they could. 


End file.
